When I go backpacking with the dogs, camp is set up and the sun goes down, I get nervous when they wander away from the fire. Not being able to see my dogs, especially the black one, is unnerving, especially when they don’t immediately come when they are called. But lately I’ve been making them…
Category: Gear Reviews
Dublin Dog Nomad Travel Bowl review
When you bring your best friend along on outdoor adventures, you gotta let ’em eat and drink. The Nomad Travel Bowls from Dublin Dog are pretty much essential for any backpacking, hiking, trail running or travel excursion with your dog. I’ve been bringing the Nomad along for my dogs since last winter, and tested it…
Dublin Dog KOA Collar review
Dogs can be our most cherished outdoor companions, and as a result, they need quality gear too. Nothing is more important than a dog’s collar, both for identification and safety. But most collars are cheap fabric materials that absorb everything a dog gets into, causing then to retain dirt, smutt and stink. Enter Dublin Dog…
Granite Gear Leopard A.C. 58 Pack Review
A great backpack is worth as much as the gear it’s carrying. But is there such a thing as the perfect pack? Perhaps…I’ve been using the Granite Gear Leopard A.C. 58 all summer long, and it seems to be the ideal combination of size, comfort, and performance. From single nights of solitude to multi-day excursions…
Vasque St. Elias GTX Hiking Boot review
It’s not exactly breaking news that Vasque makes killer outdoor footwear. The real news came at the 2013 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, where I was informed that one of their more popular hiking boots, the Wasatch, was to be discontinued. I was crestfallen; no, I never owned a pair, but I wanted to. Numerous friends…
Adventure Medical Kits goes to the dogs at Outdoor Retailer
First aid and emergency preparedness are essential to outdoor recreation, and Adventure Medical Kits has you covered. Their booth at the 2014 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market was filled to the brim with first aid kits of all sizes, from ultralight backpacking kits to roadside emergency kits to keep in your car. But one new thing…
Granite Gear’s new packs at Outdoor Retailer 2014 Summer Market
Granite Gear has been keeping busy designing new packs, as they introduced the Virga 26L and updated the Nimbus Trace with 60L and 85L versions. Virga 26L Granite Gear’s Virga 26 L pack is a fast-and-light hiker that the company says will carry the essentials comfortably and securely for mile after mile. Since it does…
New Vasque trail runners and boots at Outdoor Retailer 2014 Summer Market
New from Vasque at the 2014 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market is the Inhaler Collection. So named because the company says these boots and shoes practically breathe. Inhaler Series Coming in Spring ’15, the Inhaler collection will include a mid-version with GORE-TEX® and a Low version that comes with or without GORE-TEX®. The Inhalers are built…
Switch reinvents sunglasses yet again at Outdoor Retailer 2014 Summer Market
From the beginning, we’ve been high on Switch and their innovative, magnetic lens interchange technology. We’ve reviewed the Tioga, Lynx, and Axo models, sending them through the wringer and coming away impressed each time. This year at Outdoor Retailer 2014 Summer Market, the new thing from Switch isn’t more interchangeable magnetic lenses, but interchangeable magnetic…
Yakima has nice racks at Outdoor Retailer 2014 Summer Market
You’re not a true mountain man or woman unless you need several racks all over your car or truck to carry massive amounts of gear. And if you don’t have any gear? Well, they make your car look cool anyway. Yakima has long been among the kings of rack makers, and at the 2014 Outdoor…